Upward Basketball 09

We decided to try something new this year and let Carter play basketball through a program at our church called Upward. I had never heard of this sports program until we moved here, but it is actually all over the place and consists of soccer, basketball & flag football. I really liked it and Carter enjoyed it, too. His team was called the Gators and David and our friend, Mike were his coaches. Carter had several friends on his team and also made several new ones. The reason it's called Upward is because it's Christ-centered. The teams are small, which gives them more playing time. Each week, the kids receive a different colored star that can be ironed on their shirt. The stars represent qualities like Christ-like and defense, etc... You'll see Carter's in the picture where I ironed them on in the shape of a cross! My favorite part was that before each game, it's played out like a real game...they introduce the players on the microphone, have their name on the big screen, and the players run out onto the court (see video below)! They even have a smoke machine going! That was so much fun! At the end, we had an awards banquet with all the big inflatable slides and stuff. They each received a backpack, too! The kids had a blast!